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I am building a climbing wall, 50% or more of the lumber will be recycled. I am saving as much money as possible. I know that I should get plastic holds, but I really really really do not have the money. Has any one used real stone to make holds. I have heard you can. My father in law is a stone mason and has a saw that can cut the stones so that the backs are flat.
Anyone tried it before?

That idea rocks

I have several really good stone holds, You'll find drilling the hole "separates the men from the boys". Just be careful, not to over tighten it when you bolt it to the wall.

Get a chunk of hard wood and make your own gibs. I think you can make fine holds that have excellent grip and super comfy with a cheap belt sander and a cheap table saw. They won't be sexy, but devastatingly effective!

That's why they are called woodies. The original indoor training walls used wood holds.

i like woodies they are fun to play on!!! keep you in shape too! right al??

I've got a few. You'll break 10 rocks to make 2 holds. Use a counter sink and not a counter bore when drilling so when you put a washer in the counter sink, the washer deflects and the hold won't crack. Be creative and use masonry bits for the drilling.

Some of my favorite holds were smooth wooden pinches made from 4x4's. Chris Ecklund at Climb Time used to make tons of wooden holds... most were pretty badass. I'd go that route if you have the time.... super skin friendly, and inexpensive.

not so inexpensive if you have to buy a belt sander , wood, and table saw....any economists in this group?

i like to have a mixture of wood, rock, and resin holds. depending on your method you can make some pretty sweet holds out of bondo if you want some variety. best of luck to ya with the rocks.

here are some sites for making resin holds and molds if you are interested.

http://www.stephenwilliamson.com/climbi ... gholds.htm

http://www.alpinedave.com/misc/holds/hold_making.htm